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Jazz pianists don't spend hours and hours honing their techniques and perfecting their pianissimos or octaves, and repeating the same passages countless times till they get it right. I have a friend who plays in a jazz club, and spent a few evenings with him when he practised - which was basically trying several improvisations around a theme, hardly ever repeating anything.

To work hard practising for ANY genre of music is a genuine credit to the individual but does not entitle them to feel elitist. Classical does not need to mean better or more worthy. I'd imagine the more open-minded and generous of spirit within the classical world would be dismayed by the way bennevis expresses his opinions because to me he defines the word elitist (and seems quite proud of it but peppers his posts with smilies in the mistaken belief it makes his views less confrontational)...

There's a constant (rather smug) reference to his appreciation of classical music and his ignorant condemnation of those HE has decided clearly aren't into classical music (how would he know?), but also the fantasy persona he presents on the forum...no phone, no computer (uses a computer at work apparently - 24/7 it would seem), proudly claiming luddite status whenever other members ask him to record his own performances on his wretched V-Piano...

"Me? Record? Sorry, I wouldn't know how. I'm so blissfully happy in my non-techno world that I couldn't possibly work out how to record, you might as well ask me to control the bridge of the Enterprise. Anyway, must get back to work, my employer pays me good money to sit on my arse all day staring at the piano forum - or I could get back to you tonight or at the weekend when I sit on a computer for several more hours (at the gym apparently). But let me make it clear - I do not own a computer; dreadful things. Did I mention I'm a classical pianist and attend hundreds of recitals a year? But you wouldn't understand; you clearly have no appreciation of classical music; you probably think Pavarotti is a brand of ice cream, pleb".

Each to his/her own - I only tried to explain the difference between a classical pianist and others, and why our needs are different. Have a look at the Pianist Corner forum, and you'll see what I mean. Don't mind me - I'm only a classical pianist, after all

I think your post simply further illustrates my point.

I have explained elsewhere that faithfully replicating the projection of sound of a real piano will require more than the current designs of the N3 and V. Sitting in the player's position won't give you a perspective on that because you are so close to the sound source. All the tweaks you made and verifying them by sitting in the pianist's position gives very little insight into whether or not the projection of sound would have been any better from your original position in the audience. As far as I'm concerned, the projection of sound is the only thing that makes the V-grand different from a V-piano so that is certainly the one area I would have spent my time analyzing from every perspective.

Your second point regarding your unique needs and intentions smacks of that silly elitism again. Classical music is not unique in any of the demands you mentioned nor is your desire to find a DP that gives you exactly what you want.

Coltane or Parker, can't remember which, practiced 12 hours a day for 7 years after he got embarrassed on stage when he was young. He mastered jazz blues in 12 keys...no easy feat to be sure. Look at Oscar Peterson and Art Tatum, for example. Both known for their warp speed and precision and a technique that makes most jazz piano players cry. Rachmaninov himself adored Art Tatum and Duke Ellington. Glenn Gould loved Bill Evans. Horowitz remarked that if Art Tatum ever took up Classical piano, he'd quit the next day. A fantastic jazz piano player named David Hazeltine plays some of the most demanding stuff from Liszt and Chopin. As has already been mentioned, to be proficient as a jazz piano player, you must have extremely good technique, a good ear, know tons of scales, chords, etc. etc etc. That takes years and years to develop.

I think technique isn't exclusive to one type of music. Having a solid foundation in technique makes you a better piano player in general. There are goals as well. My goal is to be good enough to play and site read through most any piece of music in front of me, yet solo over Giant Steps. Other jazz pianists may be fine concentrating only on transcribing solos as their practice.

Gershwin was a jazz pianist of course, and he could play anything. So could Oscar Levant. I don't mean to pick a fight with anyone, just that things got a bit hot today .

As for elitism, what I meant to say was that I don't consider myself as elite because I play classical music - but if people want to brand classical musicians that, that's fine. I play classical because I like classical, and it means all the world to me. After all, what's a word?